Using the 10 percent rule, explain why there is typically smaller populations of quaternary consumers compared to primary consumers in an ecosystem.

As we know 10% law is transfer of energy from higher trophic level to lower trophic level. So as the energy are transfer from one organism to another there is a loss of energy as that energy are utilised by the oragnism and only 10% of the total energy is transferred to the second consumer.

Explanation:

Quetinary consumer are at the higher position in the food chain so they do not get enough energy from prey they have to feed on several organism for the enegy. And also they are at the top of the food chain so they are not eaten by other animal, their life span are also more than primary consumer.

In other hand primary consumer get enough energy but they are prey for other higher tropic level.

Primary and secondary consumer are maintend in such a way by the nature thats make a ecological balance of the habitant.